Bequests have now become one of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans (NECHV) larger sources of support. Legacies, in amounts ranging from one hundred to many thousands of dollars, for specific construction, programs or endowment funds are indispensable in sustaining the work being undertaken at the NECHV.

A growing number of friends continue to express their appreciation for our mission and their confidence in our future by making estate plans that include the NECHV. This brochure suggests a number of specific ways you may join in helping to strengthen the initiatives of the Shelter for years to come.

Your will:
Although difficult to believe, many friends of New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans (NECHV) have never even considered a will. Their assets will simply be distributed according to the laws of the state in which they live. It is really doubtful that such an arbitrary method would take into consideration individual needs and desires.

A will should be among the most personal of all possessions.

With a will:
You can give certain items of personal and real property to loved ones...and if those named don't survive you, you can name alternate beneficiaries, including philanthropic institutions. You can give the residue of your estate to one person or institution, divide it among several, or place it in trust for the benefit of someone.

You can designate the specific individual or trust company you want to settle your estate (known as the executor or personal representative)

You can grant specific powers to your executor (and also to the trustee, if you've created any trusts) to conserve and manage your estate under all foreseeable circumstances. If you have minor children, you can choose a guardian for them.

An old or poorly drawn will can cause difficulties because of changes in your personal desires or family circumstances. Passage of a new tax law may offer other opportunities for tax savings, necessitating a revised estate plan. Once signed, a will should be reviewed periodically with your lawyer to ensure that it still meets your objectives. It is particularly important to review your will with legal counsel when you move from one state to another and whenever there are significant changes in family needs or financial responsibilities.

"But I Don't Have an Estate"
Many friends mistakenly think they do not have an estate; a term they feel applies only to wealthy people. But, if you have a bank account, a home, savings bonds, life insurance, stocks or pension rights.... indeed, any kind of assets, you have an estate.

Joint ownership is not a substitute for a will. During your lifetime it is seldom convenient or wise to tie everything up in joint names. In addition, when one partner dies, joint title can thwart a trust plan designed to provide asset management and tax savings. Another major hazard of joint ownership is the simultaneous death of both persons. Without a will these assets will be distributed under rigid statutes, possibly in a way the owners would not have desired.

Whether married, single, or widowed, just about every woman should have a will. Considering the variety of careers filled by today's women, as well as the fact that women generally live longer than men, it is equally important that they give adequate attention to planning their estates. A will becomes an expression of individuality, enabling both men and women to make gifts to those individuals and institutions they wish to most benefit.

Formal Name
A well planned bequest to the NECHV should be made to Vietnam Veterans Workshop, Inc. for the benefit of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans. The Development Office serves the NECHV in all matters related to charitable gifts.

Estate Tax Savings
Under present law, outright bequests to the shelter are entirely exempt from federal estate taxes. They are also exempt from inheritance taxes in most states. The amount of a chosen legacy for the NECHV is governed primarily by a person's financial and family circumstances as well as his/her desire to assist the Shelter in its mission. An outright bequest to the NECHV will reduce the taxable portion of an estate and the resultant federal estate tax liability. The net cost to the estate is not the full value of the bequest, but rather an amount determined by taking into account the tax saved. Family members may benefit from this tax savings, while the full amount of the bequest will still be available to serve the clients of the NECHV.

Bequests may consist of money and/or specific property, real or personal. Real property is land and anything attached to it. Personal property includes securities, books, art objects, jewelry, silver and other valuables.

If you wish to provide a cash bequest to benefit the NECHV in your will, you might consider bequeathing a percentage of your estate rather than a fixed sum. A bequest expressed in terms of a percentage may more closely reflect your intent in view of a fluctuating economy. It will also guarantee that your family will benefit by its proportionate share.

Kinds of Bequests
The forms of bequests, which follow, are merely suggestions. They should be adapted to an individual donor's situation by legal counsel.

UNRESTRICTED BEQUEST
An unrestricted bequest may be used by the Center for any purpose within the scope of its corporate powers. Unrestricted bequests are especially useful because they can be applied by the Directors to meet the Center's current or long-range needs. The following is suggested wording for an unrestricted bequest: I give, bequeath, and devise to the Vietnam Veterans Workshop, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation established by law in Boston, Massachusetts, for the benefit of New England Center for Homeless Veterans (here follows the percentage of the residuary estate; or the amount in dollars; or an accurate description of securities, real estate, or other property given).

RESIDUARY BEQUEST
A donor may name the Shelter as the beneficiary of all, or part of, the residue of an estate - that portion of the estate remaining after payment of special bequests. The following is suggested wording for an unrestricted residuary bequest. I give, bequeath and devise to the Vietnam Veterans Workshop, Inc a not-for-profit corporation established by law in Boston, Massachusetts, for the benefit of New England Center for Homeless Veterans all the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal.

BEQUEST FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE
Through this type of legacy, friends of the Shelter may provide bequests for purposes in which they have a particular interest. The donor may designate the gift for building construction, a particular service, equipment, specific departments or any other area of shelter. Both the principal and any income earned can be used for the stated purpose. Suggested wording for a specific purpose bequest is: I give, bequeath, and devise, to Vietnam Veterans Workshop, Inc, a not-for-profit corporation established by law in Boston, Massachusetts, for the benefit of New England Center for Homeless Veterans...(here follows the percentage of the residuary estate; or the amount in dollars; or an accurate description of securities, real estate, or other property given). Both the principal and income of this gift shall be used for (insert designated purpose).

BEQUEST FOR AN ENDOWMENT
Unrestricted Endowment
A bequest for the restricted endowment establishes a permanent fund with the income available to the NECHV for its general purposes. The fund may bear the name of the donor or serve as a memorial to someone designated by the donor. The minimum gift is $25,000. The fund may be built over a period of years.

Suggested wording for an unrestricted endowment bequest is:
I give, bequeath and devise to the Vietnam Veterans Workshop, Inc a not-for-profit corporation established by law in Boston Massachusetts, for the benefit of New England Center for Homeless Veterans...(here follows the percentage of the residuary estate; or the amount in dollars; or an accurate description for securities, real estate, or other property given).

This gift shall be used to establish or add to the (insert name) Fund, a permanent endowment fund, and said Fund shall be used for the general purposes of the New England Center for Homeless Veterans.

Specific Purpose Endowment:
This form of bequest is also held by the Center as a permanent endowment fund, with the income available for the specific use designated by the donor. The purposes of endowment funds are virtually endless: continued education, equipment purchases, physical expansion, program development, plant maintenance, etc. Support for all aspects of the NECHV is needed and a donor's own interests can be defined as well as perpetuated by a bequest for a specific endowment purpose named in accordance with his/her wishes. The designated purpose can be substituted for the phrase, "the general purposes of the Center," in the preceding example. The minimum gift is $25,000. The fund may be built over a period of years.

CONTINGENT BEQUEST
If family needs do not permit you to include an outright bequest to the NECHV in your estate plans at this time, the opportunity of naming the Shelter as a contingent beneficiary might be considered. Under a contingent bequest, the New England Center for Homeless Veterans would receive the legacy only if the individual beneficiaries for whom you wished to provide are deceased. It is always desirable to specify a contingent beneficiary in a will and the NECHV would be honored to be designated as follows:

If any of the above-named beneficiaries should predecease me, then I give, bequeath and devise to the Vietnam Veterans Workshop, Inc, a not-for-profit corporation established by law in Boston, Massachusetts for the benefit of The New England Center for Homeless Veterans, all the property, real or personal, which said beneficiary or beneficiaries, would have received if they had survived me. CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES

Bequest provisions should be written in such a way as to ensure that they can be adapted to changing circumstances in the years ahead. This can be accomplished by the inclusion of this statement in a will: If, in future years altered circumstances make it impractical to use this gift for such purpose, the New England Center for Homeless Veterans, by note of its Directors, may use the principal and/or income of this gift for such other purpose or purposes as in the opinion of the Directors will most nearly fulfill the wishes of the donor as stated above.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Vice President of Development for the New England Center for Homeless Veterans welcomes the opportunity of working with you as well as your attorney and will gladly review the phrasing of any proposed bequest to insure the Center can ably fulfill the intent of your wishes. Upon request, suggested wording for a bequest, which matches your special interest with an appropriate activity at the Center, can be drafted for consideration.

Finally, where possible, the Development Office would like to maintain for file a copy of that portion of your will, which specifically creates a bequest to Shelter.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information, please call or write the Vice President of Development, New England Center for Homeless Veterans 17 Court St. Boston, Ma. 02108 617 371-1777 email: info@nechv.org